Renita Stanley, Minyma Kutjara Wingellina, 101x76cm

• Aboriginal Artist - Renita Stanley
• Community - Ernabella
• Aboriginal Art Centre - Iwiri Arts 
• Catalogue number - 198-22
• Materials - Acrylic paint on linen
• Size(cm) - H101 W76 D2
• Postage variants - Artwork posted un-stretched and rolled for safe shipping
• Orientation - Painted from all sides and OK to hang as wished

This is the story of the older sister going a long way to get her younger sister and bring her back. They went through many places on the way, but I will only talk about a short bit of their journey at Wingellina. Two women who both came from up high and stayed awhile. They both could see that Docker River was close. And as they were sitting there they performed ceremony, inma. After, they both threw away their weapons, they threw them away. Their head-rings, they threw away their head-rings. Then they got up and left. They went to another place, a hollow called Kantarangkutjara and then they travelled on to Docker River. The story of their travels after Docker River belongs to the Docker River people and others in distant country. My part of the story is short.

Renita was born at Ernabella Mission in 1962. She has lived there all her life, attending the mission school and following her mother, Nungalka, into the 'craft room' upon leaving school. She has one son who has also recently taken up work in the ceramics studio. The oldest of five children, Renita and her siblings spent much of their time growing up out at their parents’ homeland, Tialyritia in times when the homelands movement was stronger.

Renita has travelled overseas and participated in batik workshops in Indonesia in Yogjakarta. She has exhibited widely around Australia, in the varied mediums of batik, painting, and more recently ceramics. She likes demonstrating her decorative skills to other people. Renita's distinctive walka/design draws from traditional mark-marking but is her own interpretation of these patterns. 

As well as her full-time arts career, Renita is strongly involved with the church, in particular the singing of hymns in Pitjanjatjara at regular gatherings at Ernabella. She has written and recorded her own songs and plays the keyboards proficiently. Renita was amongst the new and younger choir members who traevlled to Adelaide to perform as part of the 2004 Festival. Renita has an ever-present sense of humour and a highly recognisable laugh! She was the Chairperson of Ernabella Arts in 2006-2007.

Renita has now moved to adelaide for health reasons and has begun working in the Iwiri Studio.

Iwiṟi was established by Aṉangu in 2018, many of whom had been forced to move to Adelaide due to chronic health conditions and lack of services in their home communities. Living far from their traditional homelands, Anangu were concerned about the cultural and social isolation they were experiencing and saw a need to act.  Iwiri was formed initially to help retain, promote and transmit Anangu culture and language through the areas of arts, language, knowledge and community. Since then Iwiṟi has grown rapidly into an organization that delivers  a range of programs that aim to strengthen and advance Aṉangu wellbeing.

Iwiri strengthens the Aṉangu community through cultural and arts activities, creating employment opportunities and enterprise development. We want our young people to be strong in their language and culture and to take up opportunities to work in our community.